As The Post’s Troy E. Renck wrote Thursday, Julius Thomas and Antonio Gates are proof of an evolution — NFL tight ends who played basketball, using height and strength to effectively block who also have the speed and agility of a receiver. They’re hybrids, and it’s no coincidence that many of today’s best tight ends were also power forwards on a basketball court. Here’s a look at some NFL tight ends, past and present, who have had impressive NFL careers and basketball backgrounds.

Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs

Gonzalez is often credited for starting the power-forward-turned-tight-end movement in the NFL and is still widely regarded the best to play the position. The 14-time Pro Bowl selection who was drafted 13th overall by the Chiefs in 1997 holds NFL records for touchdown receptions (111) and reception yards (15,127) by a tight end and missed only two — TWO!– games in his 17 years as a pro.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Gonzalez chose the University of California Berkeley among a dozen or so schools who reportedly wanted him because it allowed him to play both sports. In basketball, he averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds over his three-year career, and in 1996, as a junior, he helped the Golden Bears to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

DeMarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys carries the ball against the Houston Texans in the first half at AT&T Stadium on October 5, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)

Spotlight on …DeMarco Murray, RB, Cowboys

When: 2:25 p.m. Sunday when Dallas (5-1) hosts the New York Giants (3-3) in an NFC East game.

What’s up: DeMarco Murray has joined the legendary Jim Brown as the only NFL running backs to rush for at least 100 yards in the first six games of a season. Brown’s streak ended there. After Miami’s Knowshon Moreno took the Week 1 lead, Murray has been the NFL’s leading rusher by a wide margin since Week 2. His 785 yards are 243 better than next-best Le’Veon Bell of Pittsburgh.

Background: Murray grew up in Las Vegas, where he played against Broncos safety Quinton Carter. In his first game as a freshman at Oklahoma, Murray ran for four touchdowns in the first half. But after an injury-prone four years with the Sooners, Murray wasn’t selected by Dallas until the third round of the 2011 draft. Backs drafted ahead of him include Mark Ingram, Ryan Williams, Shane Vereen, Mikel Leshoure and Daniel Thomas.

Klis’ take: Murray’s potentially historic season — he’s on pace for 2,093 yards rushing, 12 shy of Eric Dickerson’s 30-year-old league record — began on draft day when the Cowboys overruled owner Jerry Jones by making the boring selection of guard Zack Martin instead of the entertaining choice of Johnny Football. Football games are won up front. Johnny Manziel would have enhanced the circus, but not contributed as Tony Romo’s backup QB. Martin starts alongside center Tyler Fredrickson, the Cowboys’ first-round draft pick in 2013. And left tackle Tyron Smith was their first-round pick in 2011 — the year Murray was taken in the third. Prioritizing brawn over glitz has put Murray in position for a special season.

Remember those $25,000 Beats by Dre headphones that only Seahawks and Broncos players received before Super Bowl LXVIII? They had a gold or silver Super Bowl logo right above the earphones. Also had a few diamonds. Did we mention the $25,000 part?

Yeah, well they were really nice. Problem is, the Broncos and Seahawks can no longer wear them, or any other Beats headphones, when a camera is near.

As first reported by Re/Code, the NFL reached an agreement with Bose to be the league’s exclusive headphone provider, and players and coaches are now banned from wearing any other headphones during televised interviews — in training camp, preseason games, practice sessions and game days. The ban goes into effect before kickoff on game days and extends through postgame interviews in locker rooms, until 90 minutes after the game has ended.Read more…

Adrian Peterson was placed on the NFL’s exempt list by the Vikings last month. (Ann Heisenfelt, The Associated Press)

The bad just gets worse for former star running back Adrian Peterson. In the past month, Peterson went from being one of the biggest names in the NFL to being indicted on child abuse charges and placed on the NFL’s exempt list by the Vikings.

According to an exclusive by The Star Tribune, Peterson’s troubles run far deeper. Records obtained by the paper show that he has fathered six children, two of them born to different mothers a month apart.

He has also had several run-ins with the law in Minnesota and Texas, his home state, including a 2011 incident in which he was investigated for alleged criminal sexual misconduct during a night of partying in a Minnesota hotel. No charges were ever filed, but the 38-page police report obtained by the Tribune detailed a wild night with alcohol, arguing and sex that involved Peterson, two relatives and four women. One of Peterson’s relatives who was there told police that the room was paid for with a company credit card for Peterson’s charity, All Day Foundation.

The Tribune report also went into detail of alleged bogus donations made by his charity, which supposedly focused on at-risk children.

The charity’s 2011 financial report showed $247,064 in total revenue, and listed just three organizations that received money. A fourth outlay, entitled simply “clothing for needy families,” listed “unknown” for the number of recipients.

In 2009, the charity said its largest gift, $70,000, went to Straight From the Heart Ministries in Laurel, Md. But Donna Farley, president and founder of the Maryland organization, said it never received any money from Peterson’s foundation. “There have been no outside [contributions] other than people in my own circle,” said Farley. “Adrian Peterson — definitely not.”

The East Texas Food Bank, based in Tyler, said it received money from Peterson’s foundation in 2009, although the foundation’s tax filing for the year listed just one donation to a food bank — the North Texas Food Bank, based in Dallas.

Sanders shines: Emmanuel Sanders fell into the Broncos’ lap as a free-agent signee. They knew Sanders provided speed. His hands have been breathtaking. He made a diving grab in the second quarter that initially was ruled a touchdown. Instead of a 77-yard score it became a 30-yard gain, but didn’t take away from the grab.

Von superb: Linebacker Von Miller continues to provide relentless pressure. He netted a sack for the third consecutive game. He generally gave right tackle Bobby Massie fits and knocked Drew Stanton out of the game with a possible concussion.

Welker record: Wes Welker set a record for most career catches by an undrafted free agent in NFL history, breaking Rod Smith’s mark.

WORSTS

Campbell shines: Calais Campbell, who netted 57 career sacks and averaged 22 points a game as a senior at Denver South, haunted the Broncos in his return. Campbell, hurt later in the game on a chop block, made a remarkable read and athletic play to intercept a Peyton Manning screen pass. The bad news? Manning prevented the pick six, registering his 11th-career tackle.

Running game woes: The Broncos running game remained a rumor in the first half. Multiple no gains on first downs from Montee Ball elicited boos. The Broncos had four rushing yards in the first half.

Dropsies: The Cardinals dropped eight passes, helping out a Broncos’ secondary that struggled in the first half.Read more…

The Broncos’ Peyton Manning makes a pass under pressure in the first quarter of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver on Sept. 14, 2014. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

A look at the winners and losers from NFL Week 4.

THREE UP

1. Cowboys: DeMarco Murray is the NFL’s leading rusher by a whopping 49 yards per game.

2. Raiders: New head coach Tony Sparano is a dramatic improvement at the NFL’s second-most important position (QB is No. 1).

3. Chiefs: After nearly knocking off the Broncos in Game 2, they routed the Dolphins in Miami the and Patriots in Kansas City, Mo.

What’s up: Tom Brady and his Patriots have never looked worse since he emerged in 2001. Despite opening with a relatively weak schedule (games against Miami, Minnesota, Oakland and Kansas City), the Patriots rank 29th in total offense (298.5 yards per game) and Brady ranks 29th in passing (79.1 rating). He looked awful last week in a 41-14 drubbing at Kansas City, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble. He is averaging only 5.77 yards per pass attempt, which ranks 33rd in the NFL and is nearly 3 yards fewer than Bengals QB Andy Dalton, who leads with an 8.60 average.

Background: Born and raised in San Mateo, Calif., Brady attended a Catholic high school and the University of Michigan. He was famously selected in the sixth round of the 2000 draft and led the Patriots to the Super Bowl title in 2001.

Klis’ take: It’s difficult to determine whether Brady, 37, is beginning a precipitous decline, or if he’s a victim of the unimaginative offense of coordinator Josh McDaniels. The Patriots always seemed to be offensive innovators with their sophisticated rub patterns in 2007 and lethal tight end packages in 2011. Brady ranked No. 3 in passing in 2011, when he threw for 39 touchdowns and 5,235 yards and was named the league’s MVP. He was No. 6 in 2012, No. 17 in 2013 and is No. 29 this year. If this keeps up, Peyton Manning will have to find a more challenging rival.

Ray Rice was released by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Monday. (Rob Carr, Getty Images)

Barbara Jones, a former U.S. District judge, was appointed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell Thursday as the hearing officer for the NFL Players Association’s appeal of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension.

In the first in a “series of periodic updates,” Goodell outlined recent steps the league has taken to address domestic violence and sexual assault in the league.

A week earlier, Goodell took heat for his news conference on the league’s handling of the Ray Rice case, and a string of others within the league. Many felt Goodell failed to offer a concrete plan for how the league would address the issue going forth. Perhaps this is the start of a such a plan.

The Post’s Mark Kiszla does not like rankings. He doesn’t like any form of team rankings. In fact, he’d rather talk about knitting than team rankings. But — BUT — he wants to know if the Seahawks and Broncos are still ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the league after their Super Bowl XLVIII rematch last Sunday in Seattle.

What do you think? Are Seattle and Denver still tops? If not, which teams are? Ready, set, debate.Read more…

Commissioner Roger Goodell talks during a press conference at the Hilton Hotel on September 19, 2014 in New York City. (Elsa, Getty Images)

Spotlight on… Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner

When: I was going to say Goodell is under the spotlight from now until his appointed “independent” investigator Robert Mueller finished his investigation on the NFL’s knowledge of the Ray Rice knockout punch video from inside an elevator at an Atlantic City casino. But the investigation is badly tainted. Mueller is in cahoots with Baltimore Ravens president Dick Cass, whom ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” exposed for at least misdirecting or, at worst, trying to cover up the video of Rice’s left punch to his then-fiancée. Cass and Mueller once shared the same law firm. Owners John Mara and Art Rooney II were picked to oversee Mueller’s investigation. Mara and Rooney are close confidants of Goodell. And Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti is one of the 32 people who are beholden to Goodell. Together, Cass and Goodell “settled” on a two-game suspension as punishment for Rice’s abhorrent act.

What’s up: Goodell held a news conference in New York on Friday ostensibly to announce a tougher personal-conduct policy and to admit once again his mistake in handling the Rice domestic-violence matter. In truth, the news conference was an attempt to save his job. He failed miserably.

Background: For five or six years, I thought Goodell had a chance to go down as the best commissioner in NFL history. Goodell was unfair in the way he handled Tank Johnson, Adam “Pacman” Jones and Chris Henry, but the NFL needed his heavy-handed discipline at the time. During Goodell’s leadership, the NFL went from the most popular league in sports to crossing over and becoming the most popular entity in society.

Klis’ take: Goodell made his unfortunate two-game suspension decision on the Rice matter as a favor to Bisciotti. He blew it. When Goodell was asked why he shouldn’t resign, he astonishingly responded: “Because I have acknowledged my mistake.” If only the 2.4 million people locked up in United States’ jails and prisons had thought of that. Goodell can no longer be trusted. And trust is everything for a commissioner. Cass must go. And the 32 owners must immediately suspend Goodell. If he doesn’t resign, the owners must discuss whether he should, for the best interest of the league.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to reporters in New York on Thursday. (Elsa, Getty Images)

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the media Friday for the first time since his CBS News interview in which he tried to explain the league’s decision and process in suspending Ray Rice indefinitely.

Since then, a handful of other cases have come up — Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, Jonathan Dwyer, Ray MacDonald — and a number of fumbled news conference by owners and missteps by the league have followed.

The NFL has perhaps never faced a more embarrassing and alarming few weeks than it has now, leading to even its biggest sponsors, including Anheuser-Busch and Nike, to start raising red flags and even suspending their deals with the league.

On Friday, Goodell must have felt that he could no longer hide. He, again, said that he made a mistake. That he “got it wrong.” That he “is sorry.” That he is “trying to get it right.” That the league “needs outside help.”

But the general public has heard those lines many times throughout these past few months, from him and his owners.

(The commissioner also said he has not considered resigning — “We have a lot of work to do. That’s my focus.” — and that he believes he has the full support of the league’s owners — “That has been clear to me.”)

But while Goodell may have been very sincere in his words, that he was indeed very sorry for how the NFL has handled the Ray Rice incident and the other cases that have come up since, he didn’t offer a concrete plan for how the league would change its ways.

He said the league would strive to get a new personal conduct policy in place by the Super Bowl, but he didn’t say what changes he would like to see made to the policy.

He said the league has partnered with two outside organizations for domestic violence awareness, but he didn’t say how that would change things within the league.

He said he there have been inconsistencies in how the NFL has handled the varied cases over the last few weeks, but he didn’t explain why.

He said “everything is on the table” when asked if he would consider giving up some of his power to allow for more checks and balances in the league.

When asked about Robert Mueller conflict of interests in investigating a league his firm has represented in past contract negotiations, Goodell asked why anyone would question Mueller’s credibility.

When probed by reporters, Goodell failed to answer succinctly how things will change and why things have happened as they have. In short, he said he has been in numerous meetings, that there are many things that the league “needs to consider,” that they “need to get it right.” But offered no answers and no plans with real changes.

But it wasn’t just the media who appeared baffled by Goodell’s lack of reasoning Friday. Players, fans and countless others expressed their views on his address: Read more…

The Broncos’ Terrance Knighton has been very vocal about the NFL’s domestic violence issues, tweeting, among other things, that former Ravens running back Ray Rice should be “thrown out of the NFL” for assaulting his wife.

“As players we must speak up,” he said. “Stand up for what’s right. I don’t give a damn who u are or how much money you make. No place for this.”

On Wednesday, after news broke of Jonathan Dwyer’s arrest for assault, fellow Cardinal Darnell Dockett took to Twitter:

I swear people don't know how lucky to be able to "play" in the NFL. Doing all types of dumb shit & here I am willing to do anything 2play!

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced changes within the league to address domestic violence. (Associated Press file)

After arguably the most embarrassing week for the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell announced more steps to improve the league’s handling of domestic violence and “related social issues.” In a letter to all teams, Goodell, who is still facing calls for his resignation in the wake of the Ray Rice incident, said that three women will join the league’s front office to “help lead and shape the NFL’s policies and programs relating to domestic violence and sexual assault.”

Per Goodell, Lisa Friel, the former head of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit in the New York Count district attorney’s office, will work on the evaluation process of incidents of alleged domestic violence and sexual assault within the league. Jane Randel, the co-founder of NO MORE, a national initiative to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault, and Rita Smith, the former executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, will focus on overseeing the development and implementation of the league’s domestic violence policy, as well as building education programs for all NFL personnel. Read more…

Because the indefinite suspension was imposed under the personal-conduct policy, Commissioner Roger Goodell will have the ultimate authority over the appeal. Don’t be surprised if Rice and the union ask that Goodell designate a hearing officer who has no current connection to the league office, which Goodell ultimately did in the appeal of the players suspended in connection with the Saints bounty case.

… Rice is expected to contend that he told the team and the league the truth. Ultimately, the person who resolves the appeal will have to hear testimony from Rice, Goodell, and other witnesses before deciding whether Rice lied — especially since Ravens G.M. Ozzie Newsome has said that Rice didn’t lie.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.